Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik on Friday wrote a letter to the Narcotics Control Bureau sharing another letter claimed to have been written by an NCB employee that called NCB, Mumbai Zonal Director an "attention seeker" officer who framed people in false cases to "to stay in the media limelight".
Nawab claimed that the letter that was received by his office is regarding NCB's previous and ongoing 26 investigations/cases.
Malik's letter read, "I have forwarded a letter received in my office regarding Narcotics Control Bureau's previous and ongoing 26 investigations/cases. I have come across some media interview by a person Shekhar Kamble, claiming to be a witness / Panch in the case mentioned at serial no. 22, i.e. case no 88/2021, in the said forwarded letter."
"The details of the facts claimed in the said media interview, in the video of the above link, and the details mentioned in the above-forwarded letter corroborate with each other. I hereby request you to please take cognizance of the facts pointed out to you by the said forwarded letter, and various media videos available in the public domain; like the one whose link is forwarded to you in this communication; and take appropriate action in this matter," said the letter.
The letter shared by Malik with the NCB alleged, "Sameer Wankhede is an attention seeker officer who always wants to stay in the media limelight for which he has framed many people in false NDPS cases. To chalk out false cases Sameer has formed his own special team. His team conducts raids on houses and plant drugs and this is how they implicate people in false cases."
The letter further alleged, "When a probe was initiated into the drug angle in the Sushant Singh Rajpur death case, the then CBI special director Rakesh Asthana had formed a special investigating team (SIT) and made his close aide Kamal Preet Singh Malhotra head the team. Asthana also made Sameer Wankhede, who was then working with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Mumbai, join the post of NCB, Mumbai's Zonal Director."
The letter went on to allege that Asthana directed Malhotra and Wankhede to frame Bollywood celebrities in false cases following which they started implicating celebrities in fake cases. It also alleged that after the cases were registered, Malhotra and Wankhede used to extort huge amounts of money from the celebrities to take back the cases.
Sharing the letter, Malik urged the NCB to take cognisance of the matter and initiate action accordingly.
Malik's letter to the NCB comes days after actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3. An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa on October 2. A total of 20 people were arrested in the case. Wankhede was given charge of investigating the case.
Meanwhile, Advocate Satish Maneshinde, who is representing Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, on Friday, said that he will be out of jail by today evening.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Aryan Khan and other accused in the case including Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha after hearing of their bail pleas.
While Arbaaz Merchant is also lodged at Arthur Road jail, Munmun Dhamecha is at Byculla women prison.
Earlier on Thursday, Wankhede had moved Bombay High Court over the enquiry against him by the Maharashtra government in connection with the extortion charges levelled against him in the drugs on cruise case and demanded a probe by CBI or any central agency in the matter. The court had disposed of his petition.
( With inputs from ANI )
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